By Dan Vierria
Sacramento BeeMaligned, yet irresistible, the hot dog is an enduring symbol of summer.
"It's quick and easy to eat," says Blanca Ulloa of Natomas, Calif. Her young daughter, smeared with ketchup, is sitting inside a shopping cart outside a Costco, devouring her half of a quarter-pound hot dog.
Costco's outdoor cafe is doing a brisk lunch business in hot dogs and Polish sausages. Nestor Ponce de Leon of Natomas Park has a pair of hot dogs and is headed for the condiment counter.
"I like ketchup and sauerkraut on mine," he says. "My wife wants everything on hers. Her favorites are the kosher dogs. She likes the quality."
Hot dogs have long been among America's favorite foods, especially in summer. Their sizzle isn't confined to the grill. About 7 billion hot dogs will be devoured here between Memorial Day and Labor Day, according to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council. That's hot.
Marketing research conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide found the hot dog trailed only the hamburger as the food most closely associated with America. Next month, which is National Hot Dog Month, Americans will eat more than 2 billion hot dogs.
We consume them in our back yards, on camping trips, at sports events and on picnics. West Coasters eat more poultry hot dogs than people in any other region of the country. Turkey, chicken, pork, beef and combinations of those meats are all used in hot dogs. There's also a soy dog, along with hot dogs filled with cheese or seasoned with jalapenos. So what's the perfect hot dog?
"It's the right ratio of meat," says Cindy Fox, owner of The Wienery in Sacramento, Calif. "I prefer a mixture of beef and pork. Spices add more flavor. A good hot dog also has natural casing. It'll have that snap when you bite into it. Natural casings also hold all the juices in."
Natural casing? Don't ask. (But if you must, it's sterilized animal intestine.) Natural casing just sounds better, just like calamari (squid), foie gras (goose liver) and caviar (fish roe) have a more appetizing ring than the real thing.
The more expensive "gourmet" hot dogs use natural casings, while the most popular and inexpensive brands, like Ball Park and Oscar Mayer, use cellulose casings. The filling is pumped into the cellulose casings, which are later removed.
Once tucked in a bun, the hot dog can be lathered in mustard, ketchup, relish, onions, tomatoes, ranch dressing, chili, sauerkraut, refried beans, barbecue sauce, red cabbage or any number of other condiments and toppings for sour or sweet flavors and texture.
"It's a very versatile food, often grounded in nostalgia by Americans," says Josee Meehan, senior public affairs manager for the American Meat Institute. "It's easy to eat. As soon as it's in the bun, you're mobile."
Meehan says there's an increase in hot-dog sales during the summer because it's a food associated with summer leisure. Hot dogs are not only easy to eat but simple to prepare.
How the hot dog got its name remains a mystery, although there are several versions of the story. The most popular one involves baseball. Vendors at the New York Polo Grounds in 1901 shouted, "They're red-hot! Get your dachshund sausages while they're red-hot!" A cartoon of barking dachshund sausages tucked into buns appeared in the New York Journal. Unsure how to spell "dachshund," the cartoonist wrote "hot dog!" At least, that's the story. The actual cartoon has never been found.
Today, however, only 9 percent of all hot dogs eaten are at a sports venue. Nearly 60 percent are gobbled in back yards.
Outdoor grilling is the preferred method of cooking for more than 40 percent of Americans. Steaming is second, but hot dogs can also be fried, boiled or microwaved. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends in its food safety guidelines that you always reheat hot dogs.
Patty Barba, whose family has owned Sacramento's Wiener Works for 16 years, has steamed a whole lot of hot dogs. She says the most noticeable changes in her hot-dog biz are that more customers now order the longest ones — the 14-incher — and that kids prefer ketchup instead of mustard.
"Kids like ketchup; they've polluted the hot dog," she says jokingly.
The National Hot Dog & Sausage Council sniffs: "Don't use ketchup on your hot dog after the age of 18." But if you violate the rules of etiquette, the council will look the other way, as long as you're still gobbling hot dogs.
Despite the mystery-meat image of the hot dog and its fat content, the so-called "fillers," "binders," "extenders" and cast of additives, sales haven't lagged. Variety meats such as heart, liver and kidney must be named on the packaging if used — a requirement of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Seasonings like garlic, salt, sugar, ground mustard, nutmeg, coriander and white pepper, water and curing agents are also listed.
As for calories, fat and sodium, a beef hot dog in a bun and with pickle, relish and mustard has 270 calories, 14.5 grams of fat and 785 milligrams of sodium.
"Most people rationalize it like this: 'If I get a 14-inch dog and a small fries, I can order a diet soda,' " says Barba.
Turkey or chicken hot dogs have about half the fat, but considerably more sodium. Meehan, of the American Meat Institute, says more consumers are now shunning low-fat versions for the real thing.
"Over the years, Americans have come to understand that one hot dog isn't going to break their diet," she says. "There's a balance. There are lots of choices, low-fat, fat-free variations, but we're not seeing people shying away from hot dogs. Even the trend toward low-fat and fat-free has waned."
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